Thematic dossier
Writing and managing transnational calls for proposals
Version 5 – 29 Nov 16
Contents
Introduction 4
Step 1: Added value of transnational calls 5
Step 2: Institutional capacity 7
Step 3: Setting priorities 9
Step 4: Design 15
Step 5: Partner search 18
Step 6: Transnational cooperation agreement 20
Step 7: Assessment of projects 23
Step 8: Proposals for better planning of 2018 coordinated call 25
Attachment 1 26
Extract from the Rules of the Call for Proposals No POWR.04.03.00-IP.07-00-004/16 for projects implemented under the Common Framework in POLAND 26
Attachment 2 37
A coordinated transnational call for proposals in the field of: Social Economy, Inclusion, Youth Employment and Migrants in SWEDEN 37
Attachment 3 44
Simplified cost options – Sweden 2014-2020 44
2
Introduction
The main purpose of transnational cooperation in the ESF is to contribute to the quality and effectiveness of policies and to the delivery of reforms. A transnational dimension has a multiplier effect: it can strengthen capacities to innovate, modernise and adapt to new social and economic challenges, and it can help identify issues and suggest solutions for reforms which can shape and deliver the relevant policy targets. For project promoters, input from foreign partners may enable them to approach challenges in novel ways, to solve problems more efficiently, and to avoid pitfalls during processes of change. Such cooperation has proven its worth over the years.
Support to transnational cooperation is a legal obligation for Member States (article 10 of the ESF Regulation), except for those with a single operational programme or with a single multi-fund OP. It can be implemented within the common framework decided at EU level or by taking a flexible approach. The ESF Transnational Platform is the tool initiated by the Commission to facilitate transnational exchanges. Under its aegis, nine Thematic Networks are undertaking mutual learning activities on the themes agreed by the ESF Committee. A year ago, they also prepared the common parameters drafted by AEIDL for the coordinated calls for proposals launched in 2016, which were presented to the ESF Committee.
It is critical for the implementation of the legal framework and for the credibility of transnational cooperation that the next round of coordinated calls, to be issued in 2018, involve more Member States, more Operational Programmes, more project promoters, and more funding. It is also critical for project promoters that they should have the broadest possible choice of partners, in order to create the best-performing transnational partnerships. Moreover, given its binding character, a failure to implement transnationality would entail a risk of clawback in some cases.
The technical dossier was prepared in the form of a workbook for the learning seminar for ESF Managing Authorities, which took place in Brussels on the 7-8 November 2016. During the seminar the participants went through 8-step process on how to prepare and manage transnational calls for proposals prepared by AEIDL. Each step started with a short introduction and was followed by interventions from representatives from Belgium (Flanders), Finland, Sweden and Poland (the countries, which have launched the coordinated calls in 2016), group works and discussions. In the adjusted version of the dossier you will find the summaries and conclusions from the exercises.
Step 1: Added value of transnational calls
Within the ESF, a transnational dimension has an important multiplier effect: it can strengthen capacities to innovate, modernise and adapt to new social and economic challenges, and it can help identify issues and suggest solutions for reforms which can shape and deliver the relevant policy targets. It can also help to improve the quality of governance. For project promoters, input from foreign partners may enable them to approach challenges in novel ways, to solve problems more efficiently, and to avoid pitfalls during processes of change.
We talk about transnational cooperation in ESF projects when there are at least 2 partners from 2 different EU Member States (MSs) and through this cooperation they both achieve their learning goals (mutual learning principle).
Building transnational partnerships by project promoters from different MSs turned out to be problematic in the previous 2007-2013 programming period due to the lack of coordination between MSs regarding the dates on which they issued calls as well as the themes they pursued. Hence the outcome was that it was very hard for project promoters to find partners abroad which also had access to ESF support in the same theme at the same time. To overcome this problem in the current 2014-2020 period Member States are supposed to coordinate their transnational calls on the EU level with the help of ESF Transnational Platform. The more countries join in, the more matching possibilities for project promoters and the better potential results and outcomes.
The main purpose of ESF transnational cooperation is to improve the quality and effectiveness of employment and inclusion policies and to deliver reforms. In practice, transnational cooperation consists of:
- mutual learning between ESF managing authorities, policy-making bodies, social partners and civil society organisations;
- funding of transnational projects by the ESF operational programmes.
TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION SUPPORTED BY ESF 2014-2020
Article 10 of the ESF Regulation makes transnational cooperation compulsory in principle and structures it around nine common themes and a structure to coordinate calls for proposals issued by national or regional ESF operational programmes.
Different forms of collaboration between Member States:
Transnational cooperation (Common Framework / flexible approach) / Mobility / Mutual learningCommon problem to solve: parallel projects in MSs + mutual learning + common activities / One-sided transnationality: projects within which transnational actions benefit the target group (e.g. internships abroad) / No need for a specific project; exchange of experiences and knowledge, e.g. through study visits, peer reviews or benchmarking
In the transnational cooperation framework for 2014-2020, it is up to the Member States to decide on their fields of interest, participation modalities – within the common framework or in a flexible approach (or both combined) – and financing mechanisms – either to ring-fence resources for a number of priorities or to mainstream transnationality across a wide variety of themes.
Step 2: Institutional capacity
There are many possible set-ups, for instance:
1. When the transnational calls are only implemented within a separate priority axis in the Operational Programme:
- either: The national ESF Managing Authority is directly responsible for the implementation of the transnationality axis and for announcing, evaluating and managing the calls (as in Sweden);
- or: There is a specific national Intermediary Body responsible for implementing the transnationality priority axis for ESF (as in Poland).
2. When the transnational calls are implemented within different national Operational Programmes, either across all priorities or only for some priorities;
- Ministries/institutions responsible for a certain operational programmes or certain priorities implement transnational calls along with national calls.
3. When the transnationality is implemented within Regional Operational Programmes (as in France):
- Regional ESF Managing Authorities or their regional Intermediary Bodies are responsible for implementing transnational calls.
4. When the transnationality is implemented horizontally (no specific mention in operational programmes nor annual action plans) and neither national nor regional MAs are appointed/trained/instructed to launch transnational calls à NEED TO ESTABLISH THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSNATIONALITY WITHIN ESF!
Example of Finnish way of organising implementation of the transnational calls:
- The Structural Fund management is incorporated into the national administrative system
The authorities are monocratic offices operating at their own risk.
- The MEE is the general guiding ministry for the ELY –centres, which are regional state authorities. They get substance guidance from the other sector ministries, too
- The MA has delegated several tasks to the IBs
- The 4 SF ELY –centres have a very close cooperation with the MA (special duties in reporting, information, publicity and training of the ESF).
Organizing implementation of calls in Finland – first ESF-TNC coordinated call as an example:
- The basis for ESF transnational cooperation is in the OP.
- Finland has adopted combined approach for transnational cooperation:
> takes part in the common coordinated calls
> it’s also possible to include TNC into projects in other calls as well (flexible approach).
- There is no specific Priority Axis for transnational cooperation in the OP
- Projects containing transnational elements can be funded in all Specific Objectives.
- A national network (“Shadow Network”) of authorities and stakeholders set up in the beginning of 2016 to support the transnational cooperation in ESF.
Represented in the network are: the Managing Authority, Intermediate Bodies (four SF ELY-centres), Finnish members in the ESF Thematic Networks (7 networks) from ministries, social partners and other stakeholders / specialists in the fields of thematic networks.
The national network had its first meeting in February 2016 and has had several meetings during in spring and summer.
The tasks of the national support network were:
- Sharing information and discussing matters relating to ESF-TNC in general
- Discussing the focus of Finnish OP in ESF-TNC calls
- Discussing the focus of ESF-TNC themes in calls
- Discussing the implementation of transnational calls
- Sharing information and experience of the work of Thematic Networks
- The Managing authority and the Intermediate Bodies also agreed on a national coordinator for the first coordinated call.
The national coordinator was responsible for the planning of the first coordinated call, preparing the guidelines for applicants, organising launching events in each SF ELY-centre, sharing information, guidance for applicants.
A contact person appointed in each of the four ELY-centres.
The guidelines for applicants published 15th April 2016. Launching events organized in each of the four ELY-centres in May-June 2016.
The first coordinated call was closed in 3rd October 2016.
Step 3: Setting priorities
The priorities you are choosing for the transnational cooperation should follow your national policies and plans.
The Common Framework consists of the following themes and subthemes, agreed by the Member States before launching ESF transnationality 2014-2020:
Transnational calls can be launched in selected themes or all of them (although calls are not expected in the simplification and partnership themes).
Thematic Networks (TN) are the discussion platforms where Member States can exchange knowledge about ESF actions implemented to support these priorities and also work together on creating a common framework for a specific theme: agree on the timeframe, scope and goal of the coordinated call, requirements and possibly narrow down the theme.
It depends on the Member States how closely they want to specify the call requirements at EU level. The broadest it can get (as in the 2016 coordinated call) is to stick only to the general theme, without specifying any obligatory subthemes or requirements, just the timeframe for launching the calls in MSs and duration of the projects. With such a broad framework, Member States can translate it in this exact form to their call, or narrow it down (although without any assurance of matching it to another MS’s priorities).
Hence, it is very important that we have right people participating in the TN meetings: the people who are designing the transnational calls and come with knowledge about their national priorities and a mandate to negotiate and shape the framework for transnational calls with other Member States.
There are different practices around the Member States. For instance Flanders designs very broad calls, leaving the prioritisation of the actions and scope of the projects to the project promoters' inventiveness and innovativeness. By contrast Sweden is in favour of narrowing down the calls to receive projects addressing specific problems described within the call.
TIMETABLE - COORIDNATED CALLS 2018Start working now!
By May 2017 / MSs agree on (sub)themes and specific parameters
July 2017 (preparatory phase)
October-December 2017 / Launching transnational calls/coordinated calls within MSs.
By February-April 2018 / Project promoters develop projects and build partnerships (i.e with use of partner search database). Transnational Cooperation Agreements are signed.
February-April 2018 / Project submission deadline
13
MS / Programme / Priority / Themes / Budget / Financing / Duration / Eligible costs / Specific provisionsSE / National ESF / Priority 2 Increase transition to work, sub-theme 2.3, Apply and develop methods for women and men who are far from the labour market / - Social Economy
- Inclusion
- Youth Employment
- Migrants / SEK 63 million (€7 million) / 100% / 3 May - 30 Sept 2016 / Swedish activities taking place in Sweden and abroad according to the transnational agreement. Covering costs for the other transnational partners is not approved / Specific priority will be given to projects addressing the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and projects demonstrating social innovation
PL / National ESF / Investment priorities 8-11, i.e.:
Investment Priority 8ii, 8iv, 8iv, 8v, 8vii, 9i, 9iv, 9v, 10i, 10iii, 10iv, 11i / 1. Modernisation of labour market institutions, such as public and private employment services, and improving the matching of labour market needs, i.a. through actions that enhance transnational labour mobility as well as through mobility schemes and better cooperation between institutions and relevant stakeholders;
2. Enhancing access to affordable, sustainable and high-quality services, including health care and social services of general interest;
3. Promoting social entrepreneurship and vocational integration in social enterprises as well as the social and solidarity economy in order to facilitate access to employment;
4. Enhancing equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, nonformal and informal settings, upgrading the knowledge, skills and competences of the workforce, and promoting flexible learning pathways, including through career guidance and validation of acquired competences
5. Improving the labour market relevance of education and training systems, facilitating the transition from education to work, and strengthening vocational education and training systems and their quality, including through mechanisms for skills anticipation, adaptation of curricula and the establishment and development of work-based learning systems, including dual learning systems and apprenticeship schemes;